Brownies

Brownies

Brownies are dense, rich, fudgy, chewy, chocolatee in taste and texture. When you bake for longer time it becomes more like a cake. The perfect texture depends upon the baking time.

Today I'm sharing a healthy brownies made with whole wheat flour and palm jaggery. You can substitute with normal jaggery / brown sugar / cane sugar.

Notes:

1 cup = 120 gms (flour)

1 cup = 200 gms ( jaggery / sweetner

Baking tin - 8' rectangular shape

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat flour - 180 gms / 1.5 cups

Palm jaggery - 100 gms / 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Cocoa powder - 2.5 tablespoons

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Chocolate - 150 gms

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Melted butter/ melted ghee - 120 ml

Peanut butter - 2 tablespoons

Milk - 2-3 tablespoons

Method:

# Sift whole wheat flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt for 4-5 times.

# Add 1/4 cup of water to palm jaggery and melt. Fillter the palm jaggery syrup to remove impurities.

# In a wide bowl add melted ghee, palm jaggery syrup chopped chocolate, vannila essence. Switch on the stove and mix together until you get a sauce consistency. 

# Allow it to rest for 5 minutes / until it becomes warm.

# Grease you baking tin with oil / butter/ use butter paper.

# Preheat microwave convection oven @ 170'c.

# Add sifted flour to the chocolate sauce / wet ingredients in two batches.

# It will be very thick in consistency add 2-3 tablespoons of warm milk and mix well.

# The batter should be thicker than pouring consistency. Pour the brownie batter in the greased baking tin.

# Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and spread it with a spoon. You can add some chopped walnuts / chocolate chips.

# Bake @ 170'c for 20-23 minutes. Check by inserting a knife / toothpick...it should slightly stick. 

# Allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes. Demold on wire rack and let it cool down completely.

Cut the Brownies and serve with tea/ coffee / milk.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank U!

Badusha/ Balushahi

Badusha / Balushahi ( Airfried Version)

Badusha / Balushahi are crispy, flaky from outside and soft, juicy from inside. This is a very popular sweet recipe which is made in India for festivals like Diwali, Dusshera, Holi etc. 

I'm sure we all try to make healthy, simple, easy recipes for festivals...this is made with whole wheat flour and jaggery syrup which is Airfried. The same recipe can also be deep fried / baked.

With this measurement you will get 15-17 badusha's.

Notes:

* You can bake these badusha's @ same temperature as mentioned below.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat flour - 1 cup / 130 gms

Ghee / melted butter - 1/2 cup

Curd - 2 tablespoons

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Jaggery - 3/4 - 1 cup

Chilled Water - 1/2- 3/4 cup (125 ml)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

# Cream ghee, curd and baking soda.

# Add whole wheat flour mix well. Sprinkle chilled water make a dough. Donot knead just bring together.

# Cover the dough, let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

# Boil jaggery and water. Filter it to remove impurities. 

# Boil for 5-7 minutes, add cardamom. You need 1 string consistency. Switch off.

# Preheat Airfrier@140'c for 5-7 minutes.

# Make lemon size balls and press gently in the centre.

# Arrange them in Airfrier and fry @ 140'c for 20 minutes.

# Once badusha's are fried soak them in warm jaggery syrup for just 10 minutes.

# After 10 minutes arrange them in a plate and allow it to rest for 1-2 hrs.

Serve Badusha's and provide your comments.

Thank U!

Gongura Rice/ Gongura Pulihora

Gongura Rice/ Gongura Pulihora

In South India we make a lot of one pot meal which is easy to make and packed with flavours. 

Gongura Rice is a spicy, tangy delicious variety rice which is a perfect for Lunch Box.

There are two varieties of Gongura one is green leaves with maroon stems (red sorrel leaves) and another one is green leaves with green stem. 

The red sorrel leaves are more tangy / sour in taste. In Tamil it is called as 'Pullicha keerai,'.

Today I'm using red sorrel leaves (Gongura) to make Gongura rice. In this recipe I' ve included a small marble size tamarind which gives a nice flavour to the rice...and also a little jaggery as it balances the spices and tangyness and enhances the taste.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1.5 cups

Gongura / red sorrel leaves - 1 bunch

Peanuts - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Urud dal - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Red chilli - 2 nos

Gingerly oil - 2.5 tablespoons

Asafatedia - 1/4 tsp

Jaggery powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste.

Roasted powder:

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Methi / Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Corriader seeds - 1 tsp

White sesame seeds - 1.5 tsp

Red chilli - 3-4 nos

Method:

# In a pan dry roast mustard, methi seeds, corriader seeds, red chilli, tamarind and white sesame one after another. Allow it to cool down completely.

# Wash and rinse gongura leaves.

# Heat a pan add one tsp of oil, add gongura leaves and fry for 3-4 minutes or until it becomes soft in texture. Allow it to cool.

# Make a powder of roasted ingredients.

# Make a fine paste of fried gongura leaves.

# Heat a pan add oil, fry peanuts, add mustard seeds let it splutter well add urud dal, channa dal, red chillies and wait till it slightly changes its colour. 

# Add gongura paste, grounded spice powder, turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida and cook well. It takes 7-8 minutes on medium flame for gongura paste to cook. Once oil seperates from pan and gongura paste becomes thick like pickle add jaggery powder mix well switch off the flame.

#Add little salt and 1 tablespoon of gingerly oil to cooked rice and mix well.

# Add 1/2 of gongura paste to the rice, mix well. Do not break the rice. Add oil as required while mixing gongura paste and rice. If needed add more of gongura paste or else you can store the paste in an airtight container.

Gongura Rice is ready to serve. 

Please do try and provide your comments.

Milagu Sadam/ Pepper Cumin Rice

Milagu Sadam/ Pepper Cumin Rice

Milagu means Pepper in Tamil. Milagu Sadam is a flavourful rice with freshly ground pepper and cumin. A simple, delicious tasty variety rice which can also be offered as a Neivedayam during Navratri...specially on Saturdays.

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 1 cup

Pepper - 1 tsp

Cumin / jeera - 1/2 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tablespoon

Peanuts - 1 tablespoon

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Urud dal - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Asafatedia - less than 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

# Heat a pan add 1 tsp of oil, add channa dal roast till slightly it changes its colour add pepper, cumin and roast / fry on medium flame until you get a nice aroma. Switch off and allow it to cool.

# Make a fine powder of above roasted ingredients.

# Add salt, asafoetida, freshly ground pepper powder to the rice.

# In the same pan add oil, add peanuts fry on medium flame, add mustard, urud dal, curry leaves. Let mustard splutter well and urud dal change its colour, pour the seasoning in rice. Mix well. 

# Mix well and serve.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank U!

Puliyodharai / Tamarind Rice

Pulliyodharai/ Tamarind Rice

Puliyodharai / Tamarind Rice is a spicy, tangy, delicious variety rice which we South Indian's make for Aadi Perukku, Kannu Pongal, Navaratri Neivedayam etc. 

Today I'm sharing my mother-in-law's version of Puliyodharai. 

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1 cup

Tamarind - 1 gooseberry size

Gingerly oil - 2.5 tablespoons

Peanuts - 1 tablespoon

Mustard - 1 tsp

Channa dal -1 tsp

Red chilli - 3-4 nos

Asafatedia - 1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- less than 1/4 tsp

Jaggery- 1 tsp

Curry leaves few

Salt to taste

For  dry powder:

Corriader seeds/ dhania - 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:

#Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup of water for 1/2 hr. Squize and take the thick juice / extract from tamarind.

# Dry roast Corriader seeds, Fenugreek seeds, one by one until nice aroma comes on medium flame. Dry roast sesame until it splutter's well. Let it cool down make a fine powder.

# In a kadai add oil, fry peanuts and keep a side.

# In the same oil add mustard let it splutter well add channa dal, red chillies, when it slightly changes colour add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, asafoetida, tamarind juice, salt, curry leaves and allow it to boil on medium flame. Cover with a lid as it splashes while boiling.

# In every 5 minutes mix well. 

# Add jaggery and boil well. Once it becomes thick paste /oil ozzes out / oil separate's from pulikachal  switch off the flame.

# Add little salt to cooked rice and mix pulikachal. Do not break the rice. Add peanuts and roasted grounded powder and mix well. Add 1 more tablespoon of gingerly oil. Mix well.

Puliyodharai is ready to serve.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank U!